When The Expanded Metal Company recognised its costs for external subcontract laser cutting services were escalating in line with output, the Hartlepool manufacturer investigated the market for a fiber laser machine to help manage costs and enhance process control. The solution was a Lincoln Electric® Linc-Cut™1530A 6kW fiber laser machine from Kerf Developments, and the benefits are nothing short of remarkable.
The Expanded Metal Company Group has a rich history that dates back to when its founder, John French Goulding, patented ‘expanded metal’ back in 1884. The company has evolved over the generations, with products ranging from mild steel and aluminium mesh to pre-galvanised steel and specialist products like its ExMeshTM. The diversity of applications covers everything from balustrading, cladding, ramps, walkways, and insect guarding in the construction industry to air and liquid filtration, security fencing, crop drying and animal flooring, acoustic applications, and even speaker and car grilles for the automotive industry. The products play a critical role in everyday manufacturing for some of the industry’s most prestigious brands and projects.
For the last four years, the fabrication department has been buying laser-cut parts to complete fabricated assemblies that, as a finished product, are disability access ramps. Initially, the customer requirement was for four or five different ramp variations, but this has expanded to over 25 variations. With ramps ranging from 900 by 300mm to 1.5 by 1.5m and a host of dimensional variations in between, the production volume now stands at 200 to 250 ramps a week. This increased volume created several issues for the North East manufacturer. Firstly, subcontract laser cutting costs had escalated to become a major monthly cost, and secondly, Expanded Metal had to schedule its production and lead times around its supply chain.
Recalling the situation, Ryan Pinder, the Operations Manager and Head of Continuous Improvement at the ExMesh subsidiary of the Expanded Metal Company, says: “Our laser cutting costs were climbing, and production schedules worked on min-max order levels with our supplier – it had to change. We looked at 8 to 10 laser manufacturers and really did our due diligence. Part of this included visiting MACH 2024, where we talked to a contact at Lincoln Electric®. We have lots of Lincoln Electric® weld sets, and it is a hugely trusted and well-respected brand that has never let us down. We told our Lincoln representative that we were in the market for a 3kW laser, and he immediately introduced us to Dan Taylor from Kerf Developments as the technology partners were sharing a stand at MACH.”
Despite looking at many vendors, a demonstration at the Kerf showroom in Rochdale sealed the deal. Ryan continues: “This was our first laser purchase, so we needed support and reassurance as we leapt into the unknown. The Kerf team put us at ease and emphasised their level of support, and they couldn’t have been more supportive during demonstrations. We switched our requirement from a 3kW to a 6kW fiber laser to futureproof our business, and Kerf introduced us to the Lincoln Electric® Linc-Cut™ 1530 A.”
The Linc-Cut™ 1530 A has a 3 by 1.5m bed and incorporates an automated double shuttle table with a 1-tonne capacity for loading and unloading sheets when the machine is cutting. The fiber laser cutting head has a 75μm compact laser source to enhance cut quality. Furthermore, it incorporates an autofocus function with automatic gas calibration and cutting height for optimised cut quality and repeatability.
Kerf conducted cutting trials and invited the ExMesh production team to trial the machine. At the same time, the ExMesh Health & Safety Manager reviewed the safety attributes of the Linc-Cut™ 1530 A. With a two-camera safety system, protective enclosure, security windows, light safety barrier, high-grade laser, CE certification, a fume extraction system with DIGIFILTER and a 2-year warranty, the Linc-Cut™ 1530 A passed the stringent health and safety requirements of ExMesh. Demonstrating its astounding ease of use, the large-screen CNC interface integrates two monitoring cameras and automated drawing, nesting, and database parameters with advanced functions like Flycut, Fast Cutting, Smooth Microjoint, Frame Border and Circle Centering, sealing the deal for the ExMesh operators.
The Benefits
Delivered in August, the Linc-Cut™ 1530 A has hit the ground running, operating for 8 to 16 hours a day. The impact of the machine has been far-reaching. The subcontract supply of laser-cut components ended immediately, saving the 95+ employee business significant costs monthly. This will ensure the Linc-Cut™1530 A has a staggeringly short payback period. Alluding to this, Ryan adds: “Despite its exceptional build quality and brand reputation, the Linc-Cut™ 1530 A is also an extremely cost-effective machine designed and engineered in Europe. While we have to build labour and consumable costs into our ROI projections, we are already using the machine for much more than it was purchased – meaning it will pay for itself in the very near future.”
The ISO:9001, 14001, and ISO:45001 certified manufacturer has started moving work from punching and pressing machines to the laser. Ryan adds: “Punch and pressing requires tool changeovers and considerable set-up times. Now, we can put jobs straight on the laser and eliminate all that extra work—it’s much faster than our punching machines with much better cut quality. For every job, our first thought now is, ‘Can we put it on the laser?’ and this is particularly the case for small batches.”
The Linc-Cut™ 1530 A from Kerf Developments also streamlined lead times and inventory management. As Ryan says: “Working to min-max level with our supply chain, we had to stock inventory of over 1000-off of multiple parts to feed into our subcontractors. This stock level has already dropped to 300-400, which will diminish further, freeing up valuable space and eradicating excess material and stockholding. From a lead time perspective, we don’t have to work to 30 days by waiting for our suppliers. We can now do the laser cutting ourselves, reducing a 30 day lead time to a matter of days.”
Looking to the future, ExMesh purchased the 6kW Linc-Cut 1530 A to open opportunities beyond its current scope – and this is already reaping rewards. As Ryan concludes: “With the Linc-Cut™ 1530 A, we are now in charge of our destiny, and we are already receiving more bespoke subcontract jobs from existing customers. Our ambition has always been to offer the Linc-Cut™ 1530 A capacity as a subcontract service, and this is already the case. The next stage for our business is to invest in a press brake where we can laser cut profiles and then fold the parts – expanding our subcontract scope significantly. So far, we have cut everything from 0.7mm aluminium to 10mm thick stainless and the opportunities are significant. The future is bright thanks to Kerf Developments and the Linc-Cut™ 1530 A.”
